Documentation Types in Practice: RFIs, Transmittals, Memos, and Correspondence

How architects use RFIs, transmittals, memos, and project correspondence to manage information flow during construction, including processing protocols, response obligations, and the role of documentation in claims defense.

ARE · Project Management

Overview

Construction projects generate a staggering volume of paper. RFIs, transmittals, memos, field reports, correspondence. Each document type serves a specific purpose in the information flow between the architect, owner, and contractor.

For the ARE, you need to understand not just what these documents are, but how they function within the contractual framework. An RFI isn't just a question. It's a tracked, timed request with contractual response obligations under AIA A201. A transmittal isn't just a cover sheet. It's a documented chain of custody for project information. A memo isn't just a note. It's a written record that may become evidence in a claim.

The architect's response obligations, the contractor's documentation rights, and the owner's notification requirements all flow through these document types. Getting them wrong creates liability. Getting them right creates a defensible project record.

This topic covers how each documentation type works in practice, the contractual obligations that govern them, and why consistent documentation practices are the architect's best protection when claims arise. RFIs, transmittals, memos, and formal correspondence each serve distinct contractual purposes and carry different weight in dispute resolution. Knowing when to issue each document type, how to structure them for clarity, and where they fit in the project record is a core competency tested on the ARE.

Essential

Every document you create, receive, or respond to during construction becomes part of the project record. That record is what gets examined when a claim surfaces, sometimes years after the building is occupied. Understanding each document type, its purpose, and its contractual weight is a core competency for the ARE and for practice. Requests for Information (RFIs) The RFI is probably the most heavily tracked document in construction administration. Contractors have used RFIs since the early 1970s, originally to document the timing and responsiveness of architects' answers to questions about the contract documents. Today, RFIs are tracked through web-based document management systems, and the architect's response status is typically reported to the owner at project meetings. Under AIA A201 Section 4.2.14, the architect must review and respond to RFIs about the contract documents.

Professional

Consider an architecture firm managing construction administration for a $22 million mixed-use development with ground-floor retail, four floors of residential units, and a below-grade parking structure. The project uses AIA contract documents, and the architect has three subconsultants (structural, MEP, and civil). The contractor has 14 subcontractors on site. Within the first month of construction, the architect receives 47 RFIs. Roughly a third ask legitimate clarification questions about the contract documents. Another third could have been answered by a careful review of the existing drawings and specifications. The remaining third are thinly veiled requests for the architect to redesign details the contractor finds difficult to build as drawn. The project architect implements a triage system.

TLDR

RFIs require written responses within agreed time limits or with "reasonable promptness" per A201 Section 4.2.14
AIA Document G714 (2004) is the standard RFI form
Architect can claim additional compensation for RFIs that are improperly prepared or ask about information already in the contract documents (B101 Section 4.2.2.2)
Transmittals document chain of custody: what was sent, by whom, to whom, when, and for what purpose
Memos confirm verbal decisions in writing. Follow up phone calls and site conversations within 24 hours.
All correspondence should flow through centralized document control, not individual email inboxes
Document control supports configuration management and scope control
Site records include daily logs, inspection reports, weekly construction reports, safety reports, and QA/QC reports
Three claims evaluation questions: standard of care compliance, regulatory compliance, contracted services performed. All three depend on documentation to verify.

ELI5

Imagine you're coordinating a huge group project where dozens of people are building something together over two years. Some people have questions. Some people need to send things to other people. Some people make decisions over the phone. How do you keep track of all of it? That's where these four document types come in. An RFI (Request for Information) is a formal way to ask a question. Think of it like raising your hand in class, except everything is written down. The contractor asks, the architect answers, and both the question and answer get logged with dates. The architect has to respond in writing, not just say something at a meeting. And there's a clock ticking: the response needs to happen within whatever timeline was agreed to, or at least promptly. A transmittal is a cover sheet that says "here's what I'm sending you.

AREProject Management

Documentation Types in Practice: RFIs, Transmittals, Memos, and Correspondence

2 min read211 words

Documentation Types in Practice: RFIs, Transmittals, Memos, and Correspondence

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